Apple patented the vantablack “Super Black” color for the MacBook

Tram Ho

But a new patent shows that Apple has finally found a way to create modern MacBook models with matte black finishes through a clever technique that draws and prevents light from bouncing off the device’s surface.

If you recently bought a MacBook, you probably know the darkest color you can buy is Space Gray, but it’s still too bright compared to black. The problem here is, in order to color paint on a device made of aluminum, its surface needs to undergo an anodic treatment (electroplating) to become easier to adhere, helping to retain colorants. on. According to Apple Patent No. 20200383224, the electroplated metal will look glossy, and since any light that falls on it will be reflected, a layer of paint no matter how dark it looks dark gray.

However, a company in the UK named Surrey NanoSystems has discovered a way to create the perfect matte black on almost any object. Its Vantablack paint color is made from micro carbon nanotubes, capable of absorbing and absorbing more than 99.97% of the visible light shining into it, making the painted surface look so dark that it completely becomes invisible. picture in front of ordinary people. In 2018, a visitor to the museum fell into a Vantablack painted hole that looked like a large black dot on the floor. The problem Apple faced was that in 2016, artist Anish Kapoor exclusively used the Vantablack color, meaning the company couldn’t use it on its MacBook models. What Anish Kapoor doesn’t control is how Vantablack color works, and that’s exactly what Apple researchers are trying to learn to reproduce this color using other methods.

Apple đăng ký bằng sáng chế màu Siêu Đen vantablack cho MacBook - Ảnh 1.

Through a process that involves electroplating the metal surface (e.g. the aluminum lid of the MacBook), blending colored particles into the microscopic voids of the resulting metal oxide layer, and then applying a layer the final material has the ability to absorb light, the level of reflectivity of the metal surface will be significantly reduced. An example of the aforementioned final step outlined in the patent involves etching a series of unusual convex patterns with an altitude of about 2 micrometres, causing light to be trapped and bounced back in multiple directions. to create a chaotic reflection phenomenon that would produce a rough, rough surface under the naked eye.

Without a glossy surface, pigments like black are more pronounced, allowing Apple to bring in even darker color options, not just space gray. Is this dark finish surface as jet-black as Vantablack, which is so black that all the appearance of an object disappear from view? Probably not, but Apple probably does not want that considering that they always like to “show off” their design strengths and make all the physical features of the devices stand out in front of consumers. What they pursue is like a solution that borrows some of Vantablack’s features so that future iPhone and MacBook models will both have the toughness and ruggedness of the aluminum chassis and bright color options. like the signature fruity iMac models of years ago.

Reference: Gizmodo

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Source : Genk